Trapped!
by Lover of Seto Kaiba
Summary: (Rating may change) What would happen if Malik Ishtar and Serenity Wheeler were trapped in a warehouse together during a blizzard? Chaos! Hilarity! Lemon! Dedicated to all those MalikxSerenity lovers out there!
1. Trapped

Chapter 1 Trapped

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh!

This is my first (but hopefully, not my last) Malik and Serenity love story. If anyone knows any other good stories with them as the main couple, I would really appreciate it if you would tell me what it is in your review. I love this coupling as much as I love Seto and Serenity stories, but there is a major lack of them on Fanfiction. So, for all you MalikSerenity lovers out there, this story is for you. As always, read and review!!!

A/n: Malik and Ishizu live together in an apartment in Domino. Marik is gone, (I think he gets sent to the shadow realm in the show?) and so he lives a normal life with his sister. Well, he does tend to try to stir up a little trouble now and then, (he's really a bad boy at heart, but that's why we love him, right girls?) but he's not quite evil anymore. Serenity is, of course, a little tiny bit scared of him. Wouldn't you be? Anyway, he might be a little ooc, like him letting his sister boss him around. lol.

Malik clung tightly to the grocery bags in his hands as he made his way down the street. He growled as he almost lost his balance from the harsh wind, which seemed to blow snow in every direction. If he had been able to take his motorcycle, things would've been a lot easier. But Ishizu was insistent when she said it was too icy for him to ride. What did she know? Hell, it was her fault he had to do this in the first place.

"Malik?" He replayed the events in his mind. _"Would you please run to the grocery store and stock up? Domino is supposed to get a major blizzard sometime soon. Here's a list of what we need." She shoved a list of groceries at him._

"How do you expect me to get these things home on my motorcycle? Put the bags between my legs?" he asked irritably, upset that she wanted him to go out when a freak snowstorm was about to hit. Already, it was snowing lightly.

"You can't take your motorcycle! The roads are too slick. You'll crash!" She shook her head. "You're so reckless sometimes."

"You want me to walk in the snow half way across the town?!" He asked. But just by the way she looked at him, he could tell he'd already lost. "Fine. I'll go." He turned and grabbed his coat.

Now he was regretting letting her boss him around. He shook snow from his hair, only to be pelted in the face by another blast of cold snow, ice, and wind, which knocked him on his back. As he lay there, looking up into the dark clouds, he realized he wasn't going to make it. He HAD to take cover. Looking around, he spotted an abandoned warehouse just a little way away. If he could just make it...

He struggled to his feet and quickly picked up the groceries and put them back in the bag. The wind was blowing against him, but the warehouse was getting closer. He practically had to lean into the wind. Slowly...ever so slowly he was making progress. It was closer now. He was almost there....

When he came up to it, he found that the door was already slightly ajar. This should've seemed strange to him, but right now all he cared about was getting out of the storm. He opened the door, (careful not to spill the groceries) and walked in, setting the bags down on the ground. It was only when the light came on that he realized that he wasn't alone.

..._A little bit earlier..._

Serenity looked outside at the snow. It was falling pretty hard now. She sighed and waited for Joey to get home. He had been at Mai's house all day, but he should be home soon...

The phone rang. She quickly ran to it and picked it up. "Wheeler residence." she said softly.

"Hey! Serenity! Guess who?"

"Hi, Joey." She said smiling. "Where are you? You should've been home by now. Are you okay?"

"Well, you know, I have bad news. The roads all around Domino are closed due to the storm. I'm afraid I'm stuck here for a while. Do you think you'll be alright?"

"Of course Joey..." she said, although she was a little worried.

"Okay, don't worry about it. Hey, there's some wood in the old warehouse just down the street. Do you think you could go there and get some for the fireplace?"

"Sure, Joey. I'll just waltz right out in the middle of a storm and go get some firewood because my so-called brother can't make it home."

"Hey, I'm sorry-"

"Joey, I'm just playing. I'll be fine. You just stay there and don't try driving, okay?"

"Sure. Hmm...trapped in a house...alone...with Mai...I like the sound of that."

"Goodbye, Joey." She said, smiling.

"See ya soon." With that, they hung up. Serenity grabbed her sweater from the coat rack and ran outside. She didn't figure she'd need a coat, seeing that she'd be home in a matter of minutes. Running the opposite direction of the wind, she nearly froze, and tripped once, falling into the cold snow. She got up, her sweater wet and not so warm anymore. She continued walking, trying to reach it. The wind nearly knocked her off her feet.

Finally, she made it to the warehouse. It was old, and the door didn't open from the inside, but the owner had often let her and Joey play there when they were younger and it worked better. The same man still owned it, but now it was used to store old wood. He never minded if they borrowed some. He was a kind man.

She walked into complete darkness, making sure to leave the door ajar, remembering the time she had come to borrow some wood, and finally realized the door had stopped working. What a day that had been! The first thing she did was take off the wet sweater. Although it wasn't warm in there - in fact, it was quite cold- it was better than wearing a soaked sweater.

Next, she felt around the room for the string to turn on the light bulb. It was somewhere towards the middle, and pretty soon her hands came in contact with it. She turned it on, and when she turned it on, she screamed. Malik took a step towards her, thereby letting the door slam behind him. He turned and looked at it for a second, but he didn't have any realization of what he had just done. A sinking feeling came over her.

"You...let the door shut..." She said slowly. you let it shut?"

"Well, you know, these things happen." He glared at her. "What are you doing here?"

"I should be asking you the same thing!" She practically shouted. He rolled his eyes to the ceiling.

"I don't have to tell you everything, but if you must know, I was looking for a way out of the storm. Now, what are you doing here?"

"I was getting wood for my fireplace." she said.

"Well," He pointed at the pile of wood. "There it is. Now go."

"I can't."

"Why not? Look." He went over and was about to open the door and throw her out, but when he turned the handle, it didn't catch. He tried it again. Nothing. His eyes widened.

"You! Wheeler!" He turned to her. "What's wrong with the door?"

"It doesn't open from the inside." She said, scowling at him. His tanned Egyptian face paled a little.

"What do you mean?"

"You know what I mean. You LOCKED US IN!!!"

"Pft." He said. "This wood is brittle. I'll break the door down!" He gave it a hard, turning kick, but only managed to hurt the side of his foot that had come in contact with it. He let out a short groan, but otherwise gave no sign of pain. Instead, he kicked it again, this time out of pure anger, but once again had no success in breaking it down. "What's wrong with this door?!" He shouted.

"Face it, Malik. We're trapped...together."

How was that for chapter 1? Unlike my last story, A Date with Destiny, I only want ten reviews per chapter for this one, seeing how positively ooc Malik is. Don't hate me, I haven't seen too many episodes with him and Ishizu in it. Sorry. Anyway, review!

What are you waiting for? Press that button down there!


	2. Fighting Already

Chapter 2 Fighting already

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh

Grr! I had this chapter almost finished, but the next day when I came to work on it, my computer had deleted the whole thing! I almost cried, I was so upset. It was perfect! Curse you! You're a stupid, stupid computer!

Serenity crossed her arms at her chest and sighed as she watched Malik repeatedly thrash the poor, defenseless door. He would mutter a new curse word under his breath each time he hit it because truthfully, the door was winning this fight. He'd been trying to knock it down for over thirty minutes, and had succeeded in doing nothing but completely wearing himself out. Serenity just rolled her eyes. She had tried telling him many times that there was no way he would be able to break it down, but, being Malik Ishtar, he had refused to listen.

She put her hand over her mouth to keep from giggling as he groaned and continued assaulting the door, still having no luck. He tilted his head to the side and tried taking it on from a new angle, this time slamming his shoulder against it. Serenity tried to best to keep from chortling, but it was impossible. She finally burst out laughing, unable to control it.

"What, may I ask, is so funny?" He asked, leaning against the door and crossing his arms.

"It's . . . just . . . " she giggled. "You grimace each time you hit the door, and it just seems really funny that I've been trying to tell you for a long time now that it isn't going to work, but you just refuse to listen, when all you're really doing is just causing yourself more pain." She said, finally controlling her laughter. He glared at her for a second, then turned back around to the door. "It's not going to work . . . " she smiled at his back.

"You shut up!" He shouted over his shoulder and began slamming his shoulder against it. Serenity shook her head sadly and rubbed her hands together to warm them. He glanced at her, and she smiled innocently. After about ten minuets of thrashing, shouted and punched it as hard as he could..

"Oh yes, Malik. If you _yell _at it, it's _sure_ to open." She said sarcastically.

"I said shut up!" He said, shaking the pain out of his lightly bleeding knuckles. "I need to think . . . " He wiped the specks of blood on his pants and slumped against the door in defeat. "All right, Ishizu won't come looking for me in this weather . . . I don't know why she sent me out with this blizzard coming. She's supposed to be really smart, but lately I've kind of been wondering . . . Well, what about your brother? Where is he?"

"He's at Mai's. The roads are closed. I suppose, though, when he calls and I'm not there, he'll try to walk here to make sure I didn't die or anything, but Mai's not stupid. She won't let him."

"Great . . . so there's pretty much no way we're going to get out of here . . . Well Wheeler," he kicked his legs out and put his hands behind his head. "I guess now we just wait for this storm to pass . . . damn, it's cold!"

Serenity herself was thinking the exact same thing, but she would've put it in different . . . less . . . vulgar words than he did. But still, he was right. It was cold, and there was no way for them to get warm. He was wearing a black leather jacket, but he was still shivering slightly, although he was trying his best not to show it. She wrapped her arms around herself and tried to get warm, but her efforts were in vain. She picked her jacket up. It was still damp, but she put it on anyway, shivering as the dank cloth touched her skin.

"Er . . . Malik?" She asked, once again wrapping her arms around herself. "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"What are you doing here? I mean, it must have been extremely important if Ishizu had to send you half way across town with a blizzard coming."

He shrugged and jerked his head towards the groceries sitting in the corner. "Stocking up for the storm. What about you? Do you always break into other people's property?"

"This is my neighbor's warehouse. He stores wood here. I was just getting some for our fireplace."

"Ah...do you always steal things from your neighbors?"

"No! He lets me use it."

"Uh-hu, sure."

"Well, what about you? Do you always let your sister boss you around? I figured the great Malik Ishtar would bow down to no one, but it appears I was wrong."

"I was just doing what needed to be done! And at least my sister cares enough about our welfare to think of stocking up."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means that while you're here, practically freezing to death, your brother is at his girlfriend's house, comfy and warm and not caring about how you're doing." He sneered. Something flashed in Serenity's eyes that made him stop, though. Hurt? Anger? Maybe a mixture of both. She turned away and closed her eyes, unable to speak to him anymore. Tears of rage formed in her eyes. Who did he think he was? He didn't even know her or Joey. Well . . . he kind of did, but it wasn't like she'd ever really spoken to him. Usually, she avoided people like him.

Malik closed his eyes, satisfied that he had won. Little Serenity Wheeler didn't know who she was messing with when she had decided to pick a fight with him. A smile formed on his mouth. Despite the circumstances, he knew this was going to be cake. The Wheeler girl wouldn't dare challenge him again.

"...Malik?" her timid voice asked.

"Hm?" he opened one eye and looked at her. "What is it?"

"Uh . . . about how long do you think this storm's going to last?"

"Well, let's see . . . Ishizu told me it was supposed to be a huge storm. We really stocked up, as you can see." He said, nodding towards the groceries. "So . . . I'd say . . . at least six days."

He seemed unworried, but Serenity's heart practically stopped. "Six days?! Here? With you?! I...I think I'm going to be sick."

"Hey!" He looked at her. "It could be worse."

"No, it couldn't!" She wailed, putting her head in her hands. Malik stared at her as she sobbed.

"Stop crying!" He finally said after a few minutes. "It's giving me a headache."

She forced herself to stop, although it wasn't easy. Of all the people in the world for her to be trapped here with, why did it have to be Malik Ishtar? Were the fates playing some cruel joke on her?

Okay, that's chapter 2. What do you think? Should I continue this story? Yes? No? Maybe? Anyway, I hope you like it. Sorry it was so short. And don't worry things will heat up between them soon . . . maybe. It all depends on if you review or not.


	3. Window

Chapter 3 Window

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh

Tsuyosa and Kouyuu:

Oh, I'm so sorry that you don't like my story, but the pairing was stated in the summary. If you disagree with this pairing so strongly, why did you bother to read this story in the first place? Do you go around looking for stories that you know you'll hate? That's kind of sad . . . Anyway, I don't feel bad about your review, because I have plenty of loyal readers who enjoy my work, and because they like this story, I'm going to continue 'Trapped!' despite your . . . less than pleasant suggestion that I delete it.

-Lover of Seto Kaiba

Malik sighed with discontent and looked around. Serenity was still sitting on the opposite side of the room, her eyes closed. She hadn't moved a muscle since their argument, and he began to wonder if she'd fallen asleep. Looking up, he shook his head sadly. There was a window right above him, but it was too high up to reach. Beams stretched above his head, and he would be able to reach the window if he were to stand on it, but they, too, were high above his head.

Everywhere he looked, dust had settled. There was some on the walls, on the door, and an extra thick layer on the floor. He absently took his finger and wrote out a phrase in Egyptian, but the dust that he stirred up in the air caused him to sneeze.

"Bless you." Serenity murmured automatically, her eyes still closed. He looked over at her. She was turned to the side, her head resting against the wall. She looked so ill at ease...so...upset.

He shrugged and looked up. What did he care? He upset plenty of people, why should this be any different? She was, after all, just a girl. He could care less about her...

Suddenly, it dawned on him, and he stood up. "Serenity!"

"What?"

"Look! A window!"

"Yeah, I know. But don't get any bright ideas. It's far too high up."

"Well," He stood up. "Let's see. Get up." Serenity held back the retort she wanted to say and rose to her feet. "Uh-hu." He said, nodding. "I think you can reach it . . . if you stand on my shoulders."

"...you're kidding right?" She said, looking up. "Please tell me you're kidding. I can't stand on your shoulders!"

"Of course you can. I'm strong. Sure, you might be a little stocky-"

"I'm not stocky." She said, offended.

"Prove it then." He said, grinning and taking his leather jacket off. She hesitated.

"Isn't there another way?" She asked, staying rooted to her spot. He shrugged.

"Sure, if you want to try lifting me up. Is that what you want? I didn't think so." he said when she shook her head. "Now, come on," he walked to her. "I promise I won't let you fall."

Giving in, she nodded. He was right, after all. This could be their ticket out of there. "Okay." She sighed. "How are we going to go about it?"

"You'll need to brace yourself against the wall." He said, standing next to her. She prepared herself, but when she felt his hands on her waist, she stiffened.

"Don't worry, I won't drop you." He said, lifting her up. _"Good thing she's so light..." _He thought to himself as he picked her up with ease. "Now, do you think you can climb onto my shoulders? Brace yourself against the wall." She did as he said, and somehow managed to force herself onto his shoulders. "Okay, good so far...now, can you reach that beam?"

"Um . . . " She lifted her arms up from the wall and nearly lost her balance, but managed to grab the wooden bar above her head. "Yes, I have it."

"Good, now pull yourself up." He said. She didn't argue, mostly because she felt extremely uncomfortable with his hands on her legs. So, she pulled herself up, suddenly wishing she had taken gymnastics when she had the chance. She swung her leg over and pulled herself up to the sitting position on the bar. Malik watched her from the ground, amazed that a girl as tiny as she could be so strong.

"Good!" He called. "Now, just stand up and walk across to the window."

"M-Malik?" She said, looking down at him. Waaay down at him. "It's too high..."

"Didn't I promise that I wouldn't let your fall?" He asked. "Don't worry, I'll walk underneath you. If you fall, I promise I'll catch you."

"...Promise?"

"I promise." he said, his eyes never leaving hers. And for some bizarre reason, she trusted him. Being as careful as she could, she pulled herself up and stood, using the wall behind her for support. For a second, she thought she was going to fall, but she regained her balance and stood up straight.

"Are you okay?"Malik called. She nodded and began trying to cross. She couldn't look down to see if Malik was keeping his promise, but she had to trust that he was.

One foot in front of the other, she slowly made her way. At one point, she almost lost her balance, but caught herself and continued, although she was a little shaken up

At about 1/3 of the way across, she noticed the boards had begun to creak. She tried ignoring it, but the further out she got, the louder it became.

"Um...Malik?" She asked, stopping and standing still.

"Don't worry, Serenity, I'm right here. Just keep moving." She heard him say.

"Are the boards supposed to be creaking?"

"I don't know. Just keep moving." he called up to her. She slowly took another step. Creeeeeeak

It happened about half way across. There was a massive cracking sound, and suddenly she was falling. Falling! Oh, God, she was going to hit the ground! Her mind was too stunned to brace for the impact, but she didn't need to.Suddenly, she stopped, and was staring straight into Malik's face. (Big group of Malik fangirls: Sigh...)

"...You caught me..." She whispered, her arms wrapped around his neck for support.

"I promised I would..." He whispered back. Brown met lavender as their eyes locked. He had really nice eyes...why hadn't she noticed it before?

Then, without so much as a word of warning, Malik dropped her to the floor. She landed with a thud and stared up at him, confused.

"What did you do that for?!" She cried. He quickly turned away, but no quick enough for Serenity to miss is face contort into a grimace of pain. She got to her feet and looked around. The beam she had tried to cross had cracked down the middle, and they were surrounded by chunks of wood and splinters.

"Malik, are you okay?" She asked.

"I'm fine . . . " He muttered. "Just a . . . scratch . . . " He tried sounding tough, but a groan of pain escaped his lips.

"Let me see." She whispered. He nodded and faced her. Serenity gasped and felt like she was going to faint. His shirt, which had once been white, was now stained deep, dark red on the left shoulder. Where it was torn, she could see a large gash on his arm right where his upper muscle was.

"Oh...Malik..." She whispered. "That's...that's terrible. Here, let me help..." She walked up to him and looked at his injured arm. A sharp piece of wood, about as long and wide as her hand, was jabbed into his arm. She swallowed and took hold of it. "This...is going to hurt." She whispered and pulled it out, wincing.

"Holy shit!" He cried,. Serenity tossed aside the wood.

"Take your shirt off." She commanded. A raised eyebrow was his response. "Now." She added. "We need to clean the wound. Do you have any water?"

"There's a bottle in the bag." He mumbled as he used his good arm to pull the shirt over his head and around his injured shoulder. Serenity dug around in the grocery bag until she found a bottle of water. She then took Malik's already torn shirt and ripped it.

"Hey! What the hell do you think you're doing?!"

"Malik, hold still." She said, pouring water onto the torn piece of clothing and dabbing it on his wound. It was still bleeding, but when it was cleaned she was relieved to find that it wasn't as deep as she had originally thought. She wiped most of the blood away, as much as she could, and tied another piece of his shirt to the wounded part of his arm. As she was doing this, Malik spoke.

"Serenity..." He said, looking at the young girl who was dressing his wound. "Why are you doing this?"

"Because you're injured. Now, stop moving around."

"Yeah, but why are you helping _me_?" He pried. She looked into his eyes, searching for a reason as to why he would ask such a question. Why wouldn't she help him?

"Because . . . you . . . you kept your promise. And you got hurt because of it. I couldn't not help you." (I know, I know! Double negative. So sue me!) She finished with the wrapping and checked it out. "It should hold for a while." She went around to the other side of him to see the back of it, but stopped when she saw the markings down his back...the scars.

They were some sort of message, carved in an intricate pattern down his back. She was mesmerized by them, and, as if under some sort of spell, she lifted her finger and traced one of the designs. Malik shuddered and pulled away suddenly. "Don't!" he shouted, getting to his feet. He pulled on his jacket and stayed turned away from her, his arms crossed.

"Malik, what's-"

"Just . . . don't . . ."

A/N: Ooh! How evil am I? I bet you thought they were going to kiss there for a second, didn't ya? Hahahaha! I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter. See ya next update!


	4. Sleeping?

Chapter 4 Sleeping?

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh

Hahaha! I loved reading your reviews for chapter 3! So many of you called me evil! Lol. I love you guys. Thanks for the laughs. Anyway, here's chapter 4.

Serenity

Serenity sighed and, trying to summon what strength remained within her, lifted up a large piece of wood that had fallen when the beam had collapsed. She had decided that while Malik, who was laying on his side facing the other way, slept the pain off (after much of his arguing and her coaxing) she would try to tidy the place up a bit. Just because they were forced to live together for a few days didn't mean they had to live in the filth. She started by dragging the larger beams that had fallen across the floor to a corner in the back of the room. It wasn't easy work. She was a small girl, and they were very heavy. Of course, she couldn't ask Malik to help, not with his shoulder. Plus, the odds that he would actually do it were slim to none.

As she dragged a particularly large piece across the floor, a rusty nail dug into the soft, tender flesh of the palm of her hand. She tried to shift it to a more comfortable position, but ended up dropping the whole thing. It crashed to the floor, making her jump. She glanced at Malik, who didn't stir. God . . . he could probably sleep through a hurricane.

Her head pounded like a drum. She was cold and exhausted. Her back ached, she felt alone and scared, and it seemed like the whole world was against her. They had been in the warehouse for hours. Looking up at the sky, she realized it was after dark. Joey had probably already tried to call. Every way she turned, misery surrounded her, closing her in, suffocating her. Finally, she gave in to the pain she was feeling and sank to her knees, sobbing.

Malik

Malik was brooding, staring straight ahead at the wall in front of him, listening to Serenity move the large pieces of wood. His jaw was clenched tight, trying to suppress his anger. What had happened? One minute, he had been completely cool, and the next . . . Serenity Wheeler was in his arms. He mentally groaned, not wanting her to know that he was awake. Not only would she be angry that he wasn't asleep, especially after the long lecture she'd given him about how he needed to rest so his arm could heal, but he also couldn't stand seeing her again, not after what had almost happened.

He had to give himself credit, though. He had made a good cover up. Usually, a shoulder injury wasn't something to be relieved about, but in this case it fit perfectly. If the wood hadn't struck him, he might not have snapped out of that bizarre trance he was in . . . and who knows what would've come out of that!

What had come over him at that moment? Serenity was . . . in her own way . . . attractive. Her eyes held a look of sheer innocence that he had seen so little in everyone else, and for some reason, he found it very alluring. She wasn't like all the other women he had met. And that . . . attracted him. But still, she was just a girl, and no woman had ever had that effect on him. When she had fallen into him arms, her face just inches away from his, it had taken all of his will power to keep himself under control. The sparks were instantaneous. It was nothing like anything he'd ever experienced.

It was scary how right she felt in his arms. How her arms went around his neck, and their faces grew closer. He had never been close to any woman before, and he didn't plan on starting now. Especially not with little miss Serenity Wheeler.

And then...there was when she touched his back. She traced her fingers over his scars, sending Goosbumps spiraling up his arms. At that moment, he would've given _anything _to touch her in the same way, to take her back in his arms and press his lips against hers, explore her mouth with his tongue . . . but instead, he snapped viciously at the poor girl. It wasn't her fault that he could hardly control his . . . er . . . urges.

_"Malik . . . " _he thought to himself. _"You're an idiot."_

There was a sudden crash behind him. He flinched, but didn't move so much that Serenity was able to notice that he was still awake. As he waited for his heart to slow down, he could hear her crying, and a pang of guilt struck through him. She had tended to his wound. She was young and selfless, why did she deserve this?

"Serenity," he turned over and stood up. Tears were streaking her face, and she looked away, embarrassed. He walked over to her and knelt next to where she was sitting. "Come on, don't cry." He whispered, wiping one of her tears away. She sniffled, and he put his arm around her.

"It's so cold, Malik . . . " She said, laying her head against his shoulder. "Why did this have to happen?"

"I don't know, but we can pull through this. We'll find a way out." He put both his arms around her in an embrace and stroked her hair absently. "Don't worry, Serenity . . . everything will be okay." He spoke softly. "everything will be okay..."

Okay, I _KNOW_!!! It's short, so sue me! Grr! This was supposed to be a comedy, but now it's turning all dramatic on me! I'll try to make the next chapter more comical, but don't get your hopes up. I'm a better drama writer than a comedy writer. And yes, Malik is starting to have trouble controlling himself. Laugh gleefullyas he attempts to hide his sexual desires from Serenity. (Muahahahaha) K, and with that said, REVIEW!


	5. Feelings

Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh

"Come on Serenity . . . Pick up the phone . . . " Joey was pacing around Mai's livingroom, her phone glued to his ear. The phone rang . . . and rang . . . and rang . . . and finally, for the eighth time, the answering machine caught it. "Serenity, this isn't funny anymore. Pick . . . up . . . the . . . phone . . . Please, I'm not playing. Where are you? Please, Serenity, please . . . Pick up the phone! You are going to be in so much trouble when I get home! Serenity, I-" He groaned when the answering machine cut him off and immediately tried the call again, but Mai put her hand on his and handed him a cup of Hot Chocolate.

"Joey, I'm sure Serenity's fine." She said, slipping the phone from his hand.

"How can you say that! She's not answering the phone, there's a huge blizzard, I can't go home to see if she's okay, for all we know, she could be tied up with some old guy trying to-"

"Joey!" Mai grabbed his shoulders. "First of all, Serenity may be small, but she can take care of herself. Second, do you really think _anyone _would be out in this weather? And as for not answering the phone, did it ever occur to you that she might be sleeping? I mean it's . . . " She looked at her watch. "Ten-thirty. If it wasn't for you, I'd be asleep too."

"Oh . . . well, I'd better leave a message telling her to ignore those last messages . . . " he grabbed for the phone, but Mai held it away from him.

"Honestly, Joey, you're paranoid." She stood up and hung the phone back up. "Why don't you watch some TV or something to take your mind off of your sister?" She turned on the television and tossed him the remote.

"Okay . . . you're right . . . she's fine . . . " he said, trying to calm down. If only he'd known where she really was...

Malik stared down at the young girl in his arms. She must've been exhausted, she had fallen asleep in his lap about fifteen minutes ago. He, on the other hand, couldn't rest. He had become increasingly aware of a dull yet persistent throbbing pain in his shoulder that was keeping him awake. As time passed, it was becoming more and more difficult to ignore it. Maybe she would know what to do...

He sighed, still looking at her. Sleeping, she looked so peaceful, maybe even . . . happy. He couldn't wake her back up to face this hell hole again. It would be cruel to drag her back into the cold, harsh reality. Yes, he would let her sleep. She certainly deserved it. Maybe she was dreaming of being somewhere warm, and with someone that she didn't hate. For some reason, this thought made him feel ill. Hate. She hated him, there was no question about it. Well . . . she had a right to, didn't she? Of course, but still . . .

He shook his head sadly. No, she would never see him as anything more than an enemy, even as she lay in his arms. It was ridiculous the way he was starting to feel about her. She was so pure and innocent, and what was he? He was Malik Ishtar, the whole reason they were here in the first place. She would never care about him like . . . like how he was beginning to care about her. There was no way she could.

He gently moved her hair out of her face. She was pretty, even he had to admit it, but still . . . no other woman, no matter how beautiful, had ever had this effect on him. The feeling . . . it was a completely foreign emotion to him. Seeing her crying . . . seeing so much anguish on her face - anguish that had, in fact, been caused by him - had nearly broken his heart. All he wanted to do now was make it up to her, to make this time, no matter how terrible, a little better for her. She deserved at least that...

She was sleeping so soundly . . . What harm would it be if he were to try to . . . kiss her . . . just once to see what it would be like? It wasn't like he was going to rape her or anything, just a small kiss . . . She would never have to know, and then he could go on like it never happened. He was dying to try it, and this might be his only chance.

He leaned down and put his lips close to her ear. She didn't move. "You really are lovely . . . " he whispered, gently kissing her soft skin. "Do you know that?"

"Hm?" She slowly opened her eyes, and Malik sat up, horrified. Had she heard him! Did she know what he had just done! "What the- Oh yeah . . . " She mumbled, remembering where she was. "What did you say?" Obviously, she didn't.

"Uh . . . I just asked you . . . if you . . . knew what to do about my arm. It hurts." Truth be told, he had completely forgotten about the pain, but upon mentioning it, he felt a sharp throb in his shoulder.

"Mmm . . . do you have any Demerol in the bag?" She murmured, closing her eyes.

"Demewhah?" He asked.

"Demerol. It's pain medication."

"No, I don't have any." He said. Relief was flooding through him. She didn't know. And he wouldn't have to tell her, so she wouldn't ever know. He sighed. Everything was going to be okay.

"Hmm . . . then there's nothing I can do . . . " She said, turning over in his arms so that her head was resting against his chest. She remained that way for a minute before it dawned on her that she was sitting on Malik. She opened her eyes and looked at him, mortified. "Malik . . . I . . . I'm sorry . . . I didn't realize I'd fallen asleep. And when I woke up . . . I wasn't fully aware that I was . . . " She didn't finish, she was so embarrassed.

"It's okay . . . " He said softly. "You seemed content, so I didn't wake you. It seemed like you could use some rest."

"What about you? It must be uncomfortable to sleep sitting against a wall."

"I wouldn't be able to sleep anyway. My shoulder hurts too much."

"Well, maybe I should move . . . This can't be helping."

"Serenity . . . " He looked into her eyes. "It's okay. Really. Go back to sleep. I'll be fine."

" . . . Okay . . . " She whispered breathlessly. It was cold, and outside a storm was raging with full fury, but as she closed her eyes, cradled in Malik's arms, she had never felt safer.

A/N: Okay, I love you guys, but you're going to have to quit pressuring me for updates. I have my own reasons why I can't post this story faster. I have a lot going on right now, and it's really hard to keep up with this. Please stop cussing me and yelling because I'm not updating fast enough for you. It really hurts my feelings.

Lover of Seto Kaiba

(LoSK)


	6. Come What May

Chapter 6 Come What May

Hey everyone! Thanks for your kind reviews for last chapter. I feel a lot better now. I love this chapter just because it has my FAVORITE song in it.

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh or the song Come What May.

The next morning came with a vengeance. Serenity woke around noon to find the temperature had dropped even more, and the storm showed no signs of stopping. Through the window, she could see the snow whip by at blinding speed. She sighed and carefully moved out of Malik's embrace. She didn't want to wake him . . . well . . . part of her didn't.

Part of her knew he deserved sleep, and it was that part of her that caused her to carefully lay his head in her lap so that he might have a more comfortable rest instead of being slumped against the wall. But another part of her wanted him to wake up. She didn't know why. Maybe his loud complaints and rude comments gave her the comfort of knowing she wasn't the only one who was suffering though this miserable experience. Maybe having someone else there to share this with lessened her burden a little and made her feel less alone in the world. Maybe . . . maybe the cold was finally getting to her, and these sudden feelings she had for him were just the disillusioned ideas of a woman quietly slipping into insanity. Whatever it was, it was completely different from anything she had ever felt.

She sighed and looked down at Malik. He seemed so calm when he was sleeping, not at all like the reckless guy he was when conscious. He seemed almost like a normal person. She smiled to herself. Malik . . . normal . . . the idea was almost laughable. He was anything but normal. "You really are a mystery . . ." She said, gently running her fingers thought his soft hair. When she realized she was thinking of what it might be like to kiss him, she sternly told herself to stop fantasizing. She couldn't be falling for Malik! He was so . . . so . . . so what? Her heart and her mind were at war. Outside the wind was howling, but inside the silence was almost deafening. She had to break the silence while she sorted out her emotions. When she began singing, her voice was soft and timid.

"Never knew . . . I could feel like this. It's like I've never seen the sky before . . ." _He saved my life..._ "Want to vanish inside your kiss . . . everyday I'm loving you more and more . . ." _but he was the reason I was in danger in the first place . . . _"Listen to my heart, can you hear it sing?" _It wasn't his fault, and he got hurt trying to rescue me . . . _"Come back to me, and forgive everything . . . " _He'll . . . he'll never love me . . . _"Seasons may change . . . winter to spring . . ." _But . . . I don't care . . . _"I love you, until the end of time . . ."

"Come what may . . ." Malik sang in a half whisper. Serenity gasped. Oh God! He was awake! Did he know!

"Y-you know Come What May?" she asked, trying to cover up her embarrassment.

"Yeah, it's from Moulin Rouge . . . not that _I've _watched it. It's a chick movie. But Ishizu likes it pretty well, and I've heard the song a few times . . ." He paused and smiled up at her. "But the only time I've ever enjoyed listening to it was when you sang it."

"Really?" She asked, trying to hide how much what he had said meant to her. He gave her a small nod, and she smiled. They were quiet for a while, but lost in their own thoughts. They both tried to break the silence at the same time

"Serenity, I-"

"Malik-"

They both stopped, blushing. "You go first." Malik said.

"No," She said softly. "What were you going to say?"

"Uh . . . I . . ." He sat up. "I was just going to ask . . . if you . . . were hungry."

"Oh," She said, disappointed. "Um, yes I am, actually."

"Okay," He stood up and got the groceries. "What were you going to say?"

"When?"

"Earlier."

"Oh . . . nothing . . . it wasn't important . . ." She mumbled as he sat down next to her. He smiled and handed her a green apple.

"Is this okay? I'm afraid everything besides the fruit and vegetables is canned. I had no idea this is where I would be spending my time during the blizzard."

"It's fine." She whispered. He pulled another apple from the bag and bit into it. She smiled as the sour taste mad him squeeze his eyes closed. Maybe this didn't have to be such a bad experience after all. With him here, she knew she could survive. Come what may . . .

You like? If so, you review! You review, next chappie come soon!


	7. Maliks game

Chapter 7 Malik's game

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh!

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I know. You guys hate me, right? Go ahead, tell the truth. I'd hate me too if I was you. (Not sure if that made any sense.) See, I have been grounded from the computer, but even so, I haven't exactly been that diligent of an authoress. I had all these ideas for this chapter, I just never got around to getting them out of my notebook and onto my computer. I'm sorry. I know, I suck. (Pardon my french, if you consider "Suck" a bad word. I don't, I think of it more of a way of saying that I'm not good at whatever I'm good at, such as trying to be the best authoress. Oh, but I'm getting off subject. Guess my ADD's kicking in. Well, Actually, I have ADHD, but that's getting off the point again. Now, where was I? Oh yeah, ranting about the word "suck". Well...I guess that's it.)

Also, as I read through my story, I realized I made a huge and possibly fatal error in my writing. While I've been calling Malik by his Japanese name (instead of Marik, as the American version has dubbed him) I've been calling Isis by her edited name. (Ishizu) Sorry for my stupid and amateurish mistake. As I said before, I suck. (But I'm not even going to get back on that subject! Lol) Anyway, here's chapter 7!

"You and your . . . paranoid . . . ness . . . " Malik's teeth chattered as Serenity unwrapped the makeshift bandage from around his wounded arm.

"Malik, paranoidness isn't a word." She said, examining the gash intently. "And even if it was, this isn't what you would call paranoia. It's precaution. I need to make sure your wound isn't infected." Her face was set in grim determination. She knew that in just a few seconds, this man who she'd come to believe she might love would be howling in agony. This was the last thing she wanted to do to him, but it had to be done.

He cast a longing glance at his jacket. "Well, hurry up." he grumbled. "I'm freezing." Ever since she had fixed up his arm, he'd come to trust her nursing abilities. When she told him she had to check his lesion for any signs of infection, he immediately complied to her instructions. But still, as he sat shivering in the cold, he couldn't help but complain. It was only natural, especially for him.

"Well, I'm sorry you're cold, but this has to be done. Unless you want your arm to rot and fall off, of course. I'd be more than happy to stop dressing your wound, and after we get out of here, you can make your way to the hospital to get it amputated. She hated to get cross with him, but what could she do? No matter how much she'd grown to care about him, she had to admit: They brought out the worst in each other. "Is that what you want?"

"..." his mouth was set in a grim line. "...No." He said finally.

"Good. Then let me see this." She looked closely at the injury. "I'm going to check for infection . . . this . . . will hurt."

"Just get on with it." He said heatedly. She swallowed and put her hands on his arm. As gently as she could, she pinched his wound so a small amount of blood rose through the area that was starting to scab over. But as soon as she added pressure, he jerked away from her, his lavender eyes wide in shock.

"Why did you do that!" He asked in disbelief. "Are you trying to bleed me to death!"

"No! I have to make sure there's no puss mixed in with your blood."

"...Ewe...that's gross..." He said. She rolled her eyes.

"You're so immature. And you think it's gross? I'm the one that has to look at it! Now, let me see your arm."

He glanced at her and turned back so she could check his arm. "Just...warn me when you're going to do it, okay?" He muttered, looking down. It would've been so easy for her to come up with a sarcastic comment at that moment, but she didn't feel like it was right.

"Okay, Malik, I'm about to pinch you now." She told him softly. He took a deep breath and she pinched him, sending pain coursing through his arm. _"I've been through much worse than this..."_ He silently told himself. _"If I could survive all the pain I've had in my life...I can surely survive...this..." _But all he could think of was the sharp throb of his shoulder.

Serenity was ver thorough in checking. She went over every inch of his gash, making sure only blood rose to the surface. She looked briefly at his face. He was grimacing. She felt bad for putting him though so much pain. He was obviously trying not to cry, but to be the tough guy he always was. After wiping away the last of the blood, she tied another portion of his shirt on his arm. "I'm sorry, Malik." She whispered. "I know it hurt."

"Nah..." he muttered as she finished tying it. "It wasn't that bad." She knew he was putting on a charade, but she acted like she believed him.

"You can put your jacket back on." She mumbled.

"So..." Malik said as he slid his arms through the sleeves. "Where did you learn to be such a good nurse?"

"I took heath in eighth grade." She shrugged. "They taught us basic first aid, as well as what we should do in certain emergencies."

"So, you'd know what to do if I were to..." He put his hand to his head and fell backwards. "...faint?"

"Of course. I'd make sure you weren't wearing something that was cutting off your circulation, then I'd make sure you could breathe." She said. He sat up.

"What if I were to start convulsing?" He asked.

"Do you have seizures, Malik?"

"No, but if I did, what would you do?"

"Well, I couldn't really do anything. I'd just make sure you didn't hurt yourself."

"Hmm...what if I were to drown?"

"I really don't see how you can drown in here." She said grinning. He rolled his eyes.

"You know what I mean. What if, out there, I was to suddenly decide to go swimming, but my amazing swimming skills somehow failed me," (Actually, _can _Malik swim? Didn't he spend most of his life underground in the desert, thereby never allowing him to learn how? Hmm...) "and I was about to drown? what would you do?"

"Well, I would no longer feel responsible for you, so I wouldn't do anything." She said, joking.

He got a strange look on his face. "You'd really let me die?" then he began to grin. "Serenity, I'm hurt. And after I saved your life."

"You know I'm joking." She said, smiling. "And for your information, I wouldn't have needed saving if it weren't for you and your stupid ideas."

"So, you would save me?" He asked, choosing to ignore the last part of her statement. She nodded, and he continued. "What would you do?"

"I'd...give you mouth to mouth." She said. A blush crept across his face, but then he smiled mischievously.

"I think I like the sound of that." he said, grinning. "Ooh, hang on." He grabbed a bottle of water from the bag and poured it in his mouth. Serenity watched as he laid down and closed his eyes.

"What are you-"

"Shh!" He said, his eyes still closed. "I've drowned. You have only minutes to save me, and I'm sure you don't want to waste it talking. So go ahead, make with the mouth-to-mouth."

"You're nuts."

"Dying here." He said loudly. "You said you'd save me, so go ahead."

"Okay..." She crawled over to him. "Oh dear, it appears Malik is unconscious." she smirked. "Joey, come over here. I'll tell you how to give him mouth to mouth."

"Hey!" He bolted upright. "That's not fair. Joey isn't here."

"But out there he will be. I would have my brother necessitate you while I instructed him on what to do."

"Yeah, like he'd do that..."

"He'd rather do it than have me do it." She smiled. "Now lay back so my brother can give you mouth to mouth"

"Nope. You have to do it. Joey's not here right now, and it's up to you to give me the kiss of life." He laid back.

"I'm not going to..." She crossed her arms defiantly. Inside, her mind was reeling and her heart was pounding. If he was doing all this, it means he _must _like her, right? If he wants her to kiss him that much...

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Okay, everyone! At this point, I was suddenly struck with severe writer's block. My mind is in turmoil, you see, because I know they've only been trapped together for one day. This is going really fast, and I wasn't sure if the sparks should fly yet. So, I leave it up to you: Should Serenity go along with Malik's little game and give him the "Kiss of life"? Of should she refuse, thus holding off the romance a little longer. Vote on it, and I'm sorry to leave you with such a cliffie.

Lover of Seto Kaiba

(LoSK)


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